Many manufacturers of vehicles such as pickup trucks provide a plurality of holes on a top surface of the fender portion adjacent the pickup bed. These so called "stake holes" were presumably initially intended for the vertical placement of stakes therewithin to allow a load to be transported in the pickup truck which extends up over the top surface of the vehicle bed. In addition, the stake holes (also called stake pockets) have been used as an area which can receive rope for lashing down cargo contained on the pickup bed.
While these stake holes are perfectly adequate for supporting stakes in the manner envisioned, various other needs sometimes arise for which the stake holes give less than totally adequate response. For example, it is sometimes desirable to support a camper shell over the pickup bed. In this situation, the stake holes are less than satisfactory.
Another scenario engendering dissatisfaction includes the necessity for having to tie down a load of cargo on the pickup bed. Since stakes are traditionally monolithic, provision must be made therewithin to allow cordage to be threaded therethrough, such as by inserting an eye bolt into the stake to allow the facile deployment of a cordage therethrough. Nonetheless, stakes are still susceptible to removal by vertical translation.
The following prior art reflects the state of the art of which applicant is aware insofar as these patents appeared germane to the process at hand. It is respectfully submitted, however, that none of these patents, when considered singly or when combined in any conceivable permissible manner teach the nexus of the instant invention as set forth hereinafter.
______________________________________ INVENTOR U.S. PAT. NO. ISSUE DATE ______________________________________ Webb 3,259,353 July 5, 1966 Magers 3,455,573 July 15, 1969 Jones 4,191,108 March 4, 1980 Ciocan 4,219,229 August 26, 1980 Porter 4,607,991 August 26, 1986 Mahan 4,657,299 April 14, 1987 Millar, Jr. 4,812,093 March 14, 1989 St. Pierre, et al. 4,948,311 August 14, 1990 ______________________________________
These Patents can be categorized by certain characteristics: For example, the patents to Porter, Webb, Jones and Mahan all appear to provide similar devices in that they rely upon spring tension in order to retain some form of anchor in the stake pocket. Stated alternatively, a member is placed within the pocket in a compressed configuration which, once received within the pocket is allowed to expand and provide an impediment for removal from the pocket by expansion of a resilient member. While these devices intuitively appear to provide a reliable device for achieving similar purposes as the instant invention, certain inefficiencies may attend these devices either immediately upon installation or as a function of time.
For one thing, not all these devices appear to lend themselves to ready disassociation from the vehicle fender so that they can be substituted with another type of device should the need arise. In addition, some of these devices may degrade as a function of time and temperature or by the contact with corrosives so that their reliability may be compromised. Because of the nature of the stake pocket, failure of a device within a stake pocket either makes extraction difficult or alternatively would provide a rattling in the space between the inner and outer walls.
Millar teaches the use of a tie-down anchor which necessarily entails penetrating the wall of the vehicle fender. Besides providing an outwardly extending projection, many vehicle owners would find it objectionable to penetrate the exterior wall of their vehicle.
The patent to Magers provides a tie-down unit in which a tie-down member (42, 82) serves as an outrigger extending beyond the nominal width of the vehicle and is subjected to forces that provide a camming action which increases the ability of the tie-down unit to remain attached to the vehicle. Apart from the obvious objectionable characteristics that attend an outward projection which provides a wider vehicle, the camming action may provide flexing which engenders metal fatigue as a function of time.
The patent to St. Pierre, et al. teaches the use of tie-down fitting having a lower plate dimensioned for insertion through the stake hole and addressable with an underside of the horizontal wall defining a portion of a fender adjacent the pickup truck area. An upper plate of the fitting engages an upperside of the fender horizontal wall and is secured to the lower plate. The upper and lower plates are united with two screws. In one embodiment, a pivotal member hingedly supported on the upper plate rotates from a stored to a deployed position. In this version, therefore, all loads are transferred through the pivot pin and its support structure. In some instances, this structure may be subjected to loads at a less than optimum angle making this type of arrangement somewhat more susceptible to failure than the structure according to the instant invention. Another variant shown in St. Pierre involves the use of a "J" hook adapted to fish the first embodiment from its recessed position when deployed with a camper.
Another embodiment in St. Pierre provides a solitary threaded stud member which both unites the upper and lower plates and simultaneously serves as a support post upon which an eye member is threadedly supported that fixes the camper shell in place. The upper and lower plates associated therewith are interconnected only by the one stud.
The remaining citation shows the state of the art further.